Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)

[ED: We’ve been getting some panicked emails from readers, some of whom are hair-on-fire worried about a couple of bills in the House of Representatives. To no one’s surprise, the Cornyn-Murphy Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that was signed into law by President Biden recently did nothing to satisfy Congressional Democrats in their unending efforts to restrict gun rights and demonize gun owners along with the people who make and sell guns. So, with November drawing ever closer, Congress will be holding show trials hearings today in order to gin up sympathetic media coverage while generating campaign talking points and fund raising fodder. The Outdoor Wire’s Jim Shepherd summarized all of this extremely well, below.]

By Jim Shepherd

The House is holding hearings to lay the groundwork what are essentially“work-arounds” for anti-gun legislators. They’re looking for ways to punish gun owners, manufacturers, dealers and distributors since the Supreme Court seems insistent on upholding the position that enumerated rights — especially the right to “keep and bear arms” — mean exactly what they say.

The House Judiciary Committee is “marking up” H.R. 1808, their latest Assault Weapons Ban. H.R. 2814 the “Equal Access to Victims of Gun Violence Act” is also up as well.

H.R.1808 is exactly what it sounds like: another proposed ban on those evil, black rifles that apparently possess the souls of a minuscule percentage of their users, forcing them on murderous rampages. Unlike the “Clinton ban” this version has no expiration date.

H.R. 2814, however is not exactly what’s implied. It’s not a crusade to protect innocent victims. Instead, it’s an attempt to repeal The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The PLCAA prevents the manufacturers of firearms from being sued for the actions of others (you could use the word criminals) employing their products for nefarious purposes.

Recently, we told you that the CEOs of three gun companies, Smith & Wesson, Daniel Defense, and Ruger had been “invited” by House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney to testify before the panel today. They won’t be there. No, it’s not an act of defiance, it’s scheduling issues. But they won’t be there to either be lectured to or grilled by the committee, so scratch one anti-gun photo op.

If you doubt this description of the less-than-cordial greeting she had planned, Rep. Maloney’s “invitation” told the invitees, “the sale and marketing of assault weapons and the broad civil immunity that has been unfairly granted to manufacturers” would be part of the discussion.

She also wrote that the CEOs’ products (these particular CEOs) “have been used for decades to carry out homicides and even mass murders.”

That would certainly have me rearranging my schedule to try and be there for Rep. Maloney if I were Messrs. Daniel, Killoy, or Smith of Daniel Defense, Ruger and Smith & Wesson, respectively.

Fortunately, (for the rest of us) it’s likely that H.R. 1801 and 2814 aren’t going much further than the floor of the House. If they did manage to pass, it’s not likely that Senators facing reelection are going to jump headfirst into an impending election with the “gun banner” label attached to their campaign posters.

But it is Washington. So common sense, unlike bad legislation, is always subject to repeal.

If observers who watch Washington for a living are correct, there’s not a lot to fear in the measures, other than the normal flood of near desperation fundraising emails from both sides of “the gun question.” It’s expensive to lobby Congress, and neither side is the least bit reluctant to remind their constituents of that fact.

After attending a conference call earlier this week regarding the impact of the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” it seems there’s been a bit of media exaggeration of some aspects of the legislation. As usual, positives (there are a few) have largely been ignored.

cornyn murphy
Shutterstock

The negatives that have been exaggerated include the measure’s “Defining engaged in the business” — the guide for what constitutes a person moving from “individual” to “unlicensed firearms dealer” status. As described by many, it would immediately allow authorities to charge anyone privately selling a firearm with being an unlicensed dealer.

That’s not exactly accurate. While it does remove the personal transactional qualifier for “being in business” it specifically addresses “repeated conduct for the purpose of profit.” According to the NSSF’s Larry Keane, that does not include someone who’s selling — or possibly buying — firearms for or from a personal collection.

People who could find themselves afoul of the new regs would be those who build and sell — for profit — guns themselves or someone who regularly attends gun shows selling new guns (as Keane described them “new right out of the box”).

They would definitely qualify as being engaged in firearms commerce. The builder/seller would probably qualify as being engaged in the unlicensed manufacture and sales of firearms. That’s not been OK for a long time.

Perhaps the biggest positive impact of the Act has nothing to do with regulatory changes. It’s Congress’s up-front admission of the fact there’s a mental illness issue that has as much or more to do with “mass casualty events” than an overstated gun problem.

The tool of choice for crazies is more than likely going to be a firearm, but addressing mental issues is a problem the gun industry has addressed far more than Congress. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act removes any claim that mental illness is overstated. In fact, it may be the first positive step taken by Congress toward addressing one of the root causes of many societal issues.

Modernizing NICS databases (removing old/outdated information) as well as providing the means for states to begin entering more current information into NICS records, including those juvenile records (where state law permits) that disqualify youths from long gun purchases are also in play. Had local/state information been included in the NICS-accessible material, at least two of the recent shooters would have been disqualified from legally purchasing guns.

As with any piece of legislation, Keane explains, there are more concerns over what’s not enumerated in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act than what’s clearly spelled out. But at this point, it appears to have less impact on legitimate businesses than feared.

That, in a nutshell, is why the anti-gun groups are still furiously demanding more anti-gun measures from the Biden administration. It also explains why the House Judiciary Committee is holding hearings that are actually more “sham trials” than fact-finding.

They aren’t looking for facts, they’re blamestorming.

Dick Durbin
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, Pool)

If you doubt that, there’s always Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) hearing today, entitled “After the Highland Park Attack: Protecting our Communities from Mass Shootings.” As Larry Keane explains, we “expect this hearing to pass blame for criminal acts by crazed criminals onto our entire industry.”

 

This article originally appeared at The Outdoor Wire and is reprinted here with permission. 

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60 COMMENTS

    • I barely remember they were protecting us from communist slavery……….irony is not lost.

      • All of their bluster is a strangled last gasp of desperation –

        After November, *nothing* gets past the two houses for the next two years.

        And in two years, their worst nightmare will probably come true, Nikki Haley is strongly hinting at a run for president :

        https://thehill.com/homenews/3565538-nikki-haley-hints-at-2024-white-house-bid-sometimes-it-takes-a-woman/

        If the Leftist Scum want to staunch the flow of blood of losing the the SCotUS, they better get their geriatric members to retire, because after January, we will hold the Senate. Then, even if one croaks, they won’t have the 50 votes to seat a new one.

        We can just stall the confirmation for two years until DeSantis or Haley is President and make the SCotUS a comfortable 7-2 balance.

        The deliciously cruel irony is that it didn’t have to be the way it is today, if only they ran Bernie instead of the HildaBeast. Their utter arrogance cost them a hard lock on the high Court, and they have nothing but themselves to blame for their hubris… 🙂

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q35PgSXhKg

        • “Nikki Haley is strongly hinting at a run for president…”

          So what? That’s a good thing?? In reality, there’ll be probably 20 people on both sides announcing they’re running. Most won’t last until Super Tuesday.

        • {Nikki Haley for prez.}

          “So what? That’s a good thing??”

          Hell, *yes*.

          Her performance as Secretary of State was was explanatory, and she’s highly personable.

          The Leftist Scum ™ will be scared shitless if she runs. An actually competent female like Haley will wipe the floor with Biden…

        • For obvious reasons in neon lights there is only one man who deserves to be POTUS and that man is POTUS DJT.

          Haley and DeSantis need to take a ticket and move to the back of the bus. Only way either get my consideration is if POTUS DJT does not run.

        • Nikki Haley? thats a good thing?
          she is DNC all the way through RINO to the bone and will stab the whole GOP in the back!

        • Nikki Haley is a Neocon/RINO sellout, no better than Mittens or Dubya or No-Name McStain! I’d much sooner vote for DeSantis, or better yet, Ted Cruz.
          Cruz is a born-again America First hardcore conservative; I used to think he was a smarmy, RINO-ish, self-serving establishment guy. Even if that was true at the time he has changed since growing that beard.

      • Finger pointing democRat Gun Control zealots engaged in an agenda that History Confirms is Rooted in Racism and Genocide assume they have a podium.

        Well they do have a podium as long as they can keep the wool pulled over the eyes of gullible history illiterate milquetoast America.

        And who is helping Gun Control zealots keep the wool pulled over the eyes of milquetoast America? That would be Gun Owners whose lips remain sealed about the History of Gun Control and the unspeakable human suffering attributed to it.

    • Geoff “I’m getting too old for this shit” PR July 20, 2022 At 12:20
      {Nikki Haley for prez.}

      “So what? That’s a good thing??”

      Hell, *yes*.

      Her performance as Secretary of State was was explanatory, and she’s highly personable.

      The Leftist Scum ™ will be scared shitless if she runs. An actually competent female like Haley will wipe the floor with Biden…
      Would you be from the south, we here in S.C. love Nikki Haley.
      When she ran for Governor, a dem I worked with ask f I was voting & I jokily said
      “No, she is a foreigner & a woman”, no sure if he got the joke.

      • “Would you be from the south, we here in S.C. love Nikki Haley.”

        I live in the south, but not from the south.

        Haley would be a force to reckoned with if she ran. She’s a natural.

        And Deborah, if Trump gets the nomination, I will vote for him.

        The bottom line is, it will be easier to win the damn race if DeSantis or Haley is doing the running. Trump running will drive the Leftist Scum ™ to turn out, they hate him that much… 🙁

    • Sorry, no, I don’t remember when Congress worked for us. Remember Vietnam? How did the war in Vietnam ever benefit you, or any of your kin? We can argue about Communism all day long, but when you boil it all down, that war was primarily fought to protect the financial interests of DuPont and others who had rubber plantations in Vietnam. The fact that the Military Industrial Complex made truckloads of money from the war was the clincher.

      Congress works for the highest bidder.

  2. In summary buy more guns and ammo……. well underwood is looking pretty good for next paycheck.

  3. I’m not freaking out. I won’t comply. They won’t send young Elijah Dicken to confiscate my theoretical gats. They’ll send cowards & hacks protecting their pension. “As long as they get home safe”…they couldn’t even ban green-tip from the uproar!!!

  4. Gun control, show trials, chopping off kids privates, vaccinating against the gay orgy pox.
    They really know the issues Americans are talking about.

    • Shire-man,

      They certainly know what they are talking about in their echo chambers.

      Also, see my comment below–how I attribute/explain these widespread destructive endeavors.

  5. I will put money on an Assault Weapons Ban being voted into law right before the election..alot of the scum are retiring and frankly know they will lose their seats…So they will collect their 30 pieces of silver going out the door…They are doing everything they can to cause complete disarray and chaos here lately….that BAN would be the final straw and they know it….They are trying to push us into severe civil strife…Because “Out of chaos comes order” and the NOVUS ORDO SECLOEUM” (New World Order)…

    • 24and7,

      “They are doing everything they can to cause complete disarray and chaos here lately … They are trying to push us into severe civil strife …”

      See my comment below which explains the underpinnings of those efforts to cause “disarray”, “chaos”, and “severe civil strife”.

    • Don’t think so, they know under Bruen a federal court is likely to grant an injunction stopping it from taking effect until it gets through the federal courts. That will take a few years, and by that time its likely the Republicans will have the government back and kill it anyway.

      • I certainly wouldn’t assume that the Republicans will take control, in fact it appears that they are doing whatever they can to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Every other day is becoming a WTF moment.

        • You need to read more and the trend is clear, Democrats have lost their base and many are fleeing to the Republican side even if they aren’t changing parties. Polls, show nothing but discontent with this Administration, historically the midterm elections go to the other party, and these folks are so incompetent and against American Citizens that they are going to get mopped.

        • Yet, when we have the most discontent with the Democrat party in my lifetime, McConnell and Cornyn felt the need to side with Democrats in order to help swing some more suburbanites their way? That had to be a lie. Deals were made with McConnell for his blessing and vote.

        • With only a few exceptions, the RINO’S all belong to the uni-party with the Dimms.

      • You assume the Federal Court will not support the law suits. Since the Supreme Court has ruled they woiuld look very foolish saying that they are wrong. That is why they are called the Supreme Court and their decision is final unless they change it. Most of these issues going to Court have already been decided at the highest level. Making nuisance laws was covered in the decision and you cannot do that nor can they do anything that intentionally delays the process for excessive periods of time. All of that has been addressed.

    • “I will put money on an Assault Weapons Ban being voted into law right before the election..”

      If they do, SO WHAT?

      Just after the ‘Bruen’ decision was announced, the SCotUS GVR’ed an assault weapon ban (Delaware?).

      GVR – G -granted cert. V – vacated the decision, and R – remanded the case with the instructions to follow the Bruen decision, as laid out by St. Thomas (ever blessed be his name!).

      When that court returns the proper constitutional ruling, that ruling will apply to all 50 states.

      So, aren’t we getting a bit worked-up over a non-event, here? Oh, and a mag ban was also GVR’ed. Same outcome, no AWB, no mag capacity ban for all… 🙂

    • I do not believe another assault weapons ban will be voted into law. That will assure mass destruction of the Democrats in 2022. Many first time gun owners have emerged because of the violence issue in this country and many of them are Democrats and Independents. Democrats will shoot themselves in the foot one more time by forcing these social issues on a major segment of the population that has signaled loud and clear they do not want these things enacted.

      • they have the votes….. the house passed it twice…. the senate is very close to doing it..remember the brady bill….they said it wouldnt pass and we were all stunned!!.. when Clealand betrayed Georiga voters…Bruen was only a concealed carry case…the judges said weapons could be limited which means banned…

  6. Maloney looks like that ugly little troll waiting to force you to pay for passage across the bridge. Ugly on the inside and out.

  7. We would be wise to view most politicians:

    At best akin to womanizers who flatter, manipulate, coerce, cheat, and lie to as many women as possible for as much meaningless $ex as possible and to swindle them out of as much money as possible.

    Getting worse akin to serial rapist/thieves who will use any successful means available to rape as many women as possible and take as much of their money (in the process of raping them) as possible.

    At absolute worst akin to ardent sadists who will do anything and everything in their power to cause as much pain and suffering as possible.

  8. Today’s Congressional Agenda ?

    You mean an every day since the election democrat agenda.

  9. None of this is going anywhere, it’s a virtue signal that they intend to have fail so they can complain about how the mean ‘ol GOP were obstructionist.

    The game at this point, pretty much across the board, is to deflect blame while grabbing power for later.

    Some of these idiots have realized that the ship has hit an iceberg. They’re slinking their way towards the lifeboats while trying to distract the passengers from what’s going on.

    • “Some of these idiots have realized that the ship has hit an iceberg.”

      And it’s a whopper, one they won’t be ‘walking off’.

      An AWB and a mag capacity ban were GVRed by the SCotUS (As a fabulous parting gift!) as they headed out the door after Bruen was announced. In likely 2 years tops, those bans will officially be in the dust-bin of history… 🙂

      • They don’t care. They said as much just today.

        When asked by Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) “So, to clarify, Mr. Chairman, you’re saying it is the point of the bill to ban weapons that are in common use in the United States today…” Jerry Nadler responds “Yes, the problem is that they’re in common use.”.

        Again, how many divisions does the SCOTUS have under its command? You know, to enforce its decisions? The way it did with Obama when he ignored the NLRB ruling?

        Oh… wait..

        Now, let’s add to the mix, though shall we? (see link)

        Let’s note first that this is a sample of 8620, pretty damn large for a political poll. What does it find?

        50.1% believe civil war is coming “in the next few years”.

        40% say that having a “strong leader” is more important than democratic institutions.

        A few years and there’s actually a rational possibility that this Republic is in the dust bin of history. We seem Hell bent on having another Civil War.

        And if that doesn’t get kicked off by partisan politics or “resisting” a SCOTUS decision, what’s almost certain to come this fall and winter make it pretty likely out of desperation.

        But hey, boosters fix this, right?

        https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11032711/Americans-survey-violence-University-California-Davis-democracy-threat-civil-war-politics.html

  10. My advice to those of you who are scared of the new laws is to simply ignore them. They do not have the personnel to enforce them on a large scale, they need a warrant to come into your house, and if they don’t have one invoke Make My Day or Castle Domain laws according to your state and if they force their way in do what you are legally allowed to do if you had a home intrusion and feared for your life. NY, NJ and CT all Eastern blue states tried various forms of registration and confiscation with total failure because people did not comply. In all three cases State Superintendents of Police told their governors that they would only enforce the laws if they found a violation while investigating another crime. Latest atrocity I read about was ATF going to a man’s home to “check” he was not straw purchasing because in bought 2 firearms on a NICS application which is perfectly legal. They wanted to check the serial numbers and see if he still had both firearms. Unfortunately, he allowed them to do it but he did not legally need to. They have to have a warrant and if that purchase occurred more than 3 days from their visit, they should not even have had that info since it is supposed to be destroyed after 72 hours. It is important you know your legal rights and if that happens and they don’t have a warrant tell them to leave, period.

    • Certainly, they do not have the personnel to enforce these laws on a large scale. But they have the forces to enforce them against one person at a time and scare the crap out of everyone else awaiting their turn.

      That’s the way dictatorships govern. Through fear.

      Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once wondered what would have happened if every time one of the Soviet thugs went out to cause trouble he had to kiss his wife and kids goodbye because he didn’t know whether or not he would return alive.

      When Amereica’s jackbooted thugs have the same concern, we will have peace. But not until then.

    • In Texas there was a law passed that forbids all law enforcement in our state to aid the Fed in enforcement of unconstitutional laws.

  11. We are rapidly accelerating from the United States of America. To the United “lifeboats” of America. And there are fifty different lifeboats. Most are taking on water. Some more rapidly than others. California, Illinois, New York New, Jersey, Colorado etc etc. others are passing laws refusing to support Federal overreach. Like Missouri, Florida, and perhaps Texas.

    I think the best example of this are the 26 States who passed constitutional or permitless carry. And despite everything that perhaps might be wrong with those individual states. Those 26 States will be the safest places you can be in, in the near future.

  12. This is known as playing to the base. The problem for the Democrats is that their base has suddenly started to shrink, additionally they are scaring the independent voters. Any “Republican” in the House that goes along with this silliness is going to be trying to get a gig with NSNBC or the like after being kicked to the curb in November. Look at what is about to happen to that Liz Cheney idiot.

  13. “You want my AR? Well, you see we were going hog hunting in the Delta and hit a snag. Boat overturned right in a gator hole. Had to swim hard to avoid being a gator’s lunch. Nope, I’m not going back there. But, I’ll show you on the map just where to look. If you find the boat, please fish out my motor.”
    We have a full square mile of land, and a back hoe. I have a scrap iron pile behind the blacksmith shop. There’s a couple thousand acres of forestland adjoining my land. Good luck finding something like a scary black rifle, or a box full of magazines.

  14. Writings on the wall. All I’m seeing is encroaching tyranny from the totalitarianism fan club. High time the government receives the harshest reminder about why it should fear it’s people.

    Personally, each and every one of them.

  15. Wow Uncommon, THAT was an eye opening description of politicians! I like it. There’s some scary talk going on here by some. I don’t think escalation is necessary, yet. Let’s use our vote to speak OK?

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  17. There is only one response to these vile vermin. Fuck you. Lick my hairy balls and kiss my ass you vile fascist tyrant wannabe twats.

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